by Lexi Blake
She gave in. She was so weak when it came to Jesse. It was wrong, but she couldn’t fight while his arms were around her, his hands on her breasts. But she had to make one thing clear. “You can’t expect me to sit in your lap in front of my brother.”
His fingers found her nipples. They were already hard and wanting, and he gave them a nasty twist that seemed to go straight to her pussy. “You will sit in my lap. You’ll do it because it pleases me to have you close. I’ve already had a talk with your brother about keeping his nose out of our relationship. If it helps, I have his blessing.”
She tried to turn around. “You talked to my brother about this?”
He tightened his hold. “I talked to your brother about the fact that I’m taking control of our relationship.”
“You can’t do that. You can’t walk in and tell me what to do.”
“Tell me you don’t want me.”
“I can’t. You’ll spank me for lying.”
“See. It’s already working. And you like spanking.” His hands gentled again, but one of them disappeared under her shirt and found her warm flesh.
She couldn’t help but sigh and lean back against him. Somehow when he talked to her like this, it was easier to let go, to give over to what he wanted—to what she wanted. “I know I shouldn’t. What if I cry again? I probably will. I can’t help it. I’m still in love with him. I don’t want to hurt you. If it doesn’t work, I’ll hurt you again.”
“I’m willing to take that chance, and I told you what would happen if you cry. I’ll hold you and then I’ll make love to you all over again. I’m going to prove to you we can work.” He pressed her against the concrete wall. It came to her waist, leaving her torso in full view of all of Dallas. “Do you know what I didn’t tell your brother?”
“So many things, I hope.” She didn’t like to think about what that conversation had been like. Probably very masculine chest thumping and much discussion about how Ten would kill Jesse if he hurt Phoebe and how Jesse would kill Ten if he didn’t stay out of their business.
“I didn’t tell him how dirty you are, baby. How gorgeously filthy you like it. I didn’t tell him that you like being watched.” His erection pressed against her backside. “I didn’t tell him I haven’t played with your ass yet, and that I’m going to. I’m going to get my cock in that tight little ass of yours and I’m never going to want to leave. You’re going to be so tight. That little asshole of yours is going to fight me at first, but I’ll win it over. When I’m done, you’ll beg me to fuck your ass hard and long. You’ll want me to do it on a stage in front of everyone. They’ll know who you belong to. They’ll watch you writhe on my dick.”
“Thank you for not telling him that, Jesse. Really. I’m so glad you didn’t.” A shaky laugh bubbled up. Ten wouldn’t understand the lifestyle. Ten didn’t play. Hell, from what she could tell, he didn’t date much. He slept with women, but she couldn’t see him ever giving anyone the type of intimacy Jesse was offering her.
“I didn’t tell Ten, but I think Jake knows.” He pulled up her shirt and ran one hand up to her breast, cupping it over the satin of her bra. His other hand dipped past the waistband of her slacks, inching ever closer to her pussy.
Oh, god. Jake Dean was in that truck. He was the one watching. He would have a set of binoculars and he would notice everything going on. He could be watching her right that minute. She had no designs on Jake Dean. None. She couldn’t handle the man she did have, much less have any interest in someone else’s, but the thought of him watching her, watching what Jesse could do to her got her all hot and bothered again.
When had she become such a pervert? She’d always been so staid.
“You like that he could be watching,” Jesse whispered as his fingers found her clit. His other hand tugged gently on her nipple. It wasn’t hard to pretend it was his mouth there. “Make a deal with me, Phoebe.”
She couldn’t think, much less bargain. Her body was completely his to command, and lust made her thinking hazy. Still, the words came as if he was a magician who could call them out. “What kind of deal?”
“Play with me. Be with me. No more running away. Give me until the end of this operation to show you that we can work.” He kissed the back of her neck as he started to work her clit. The man knew exactly where to touch her. Though he stood behind her, she couldn’t help but feel surrounded by him. It was like there wasn’t an inch of her flesh that wasn’t aware of him.
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Just for these weeks. I’m not asking for anything beyond that. Give me this time. Be my submissive. Let me take care of you and all I’ll ask in return is that you be my sweet little fuck toy. Your body will belong to me. Mine to fuck and love and worship how I like.”
His words were a drug in her veins, racing through and clouding her better judgment. How nice would it be to forget for a while? She would have to go back to reality, but for these days she could be Jesse’s. She could revel in his affection and give him hers in return because she wasn’t really this girl. She was someone else, but she could sink into the role and for a few days she wouldn’t have to grieve. She could live again.
“Yes.”
His fingers picked up the pace. “Be still. Let me start out right. You read up about the lifestyle. You know that right now, I’m in charge and you obey me. I won’t demand it most of the time, but when it comes to this, know that I require complete obedience. You can stop me if you’re scared or if you don’t like something, but we’ll talk about it. No more running away and putting walls between us. I won’t stand for it.”
She could barely stand at all. His hands were doing magical things to her flesh.
“Open your eyes,” he commanded. “Open your eyes while I make you come and think about how many people could be watching you. There are all those windows. How many people are stopping what they’re doing because they can see you? They can see that my hand is down your slacks. They know I’m playing with your pussy. They might want to be the man getting to touch all this sweet flesh, but I’m the only one.”
She forced her eyes open. Her pussy didn’t give a damn that this was contrary to proper societal displays of affection. Her pussy was not only a traitor but a blatant exhibitionist.
“How does it feel? Talk to me,” Jesse ordered. He gave her nipple a nasty twist that made her shiver in his arms.
“So good. Just a little more,” she practically begged. She looked down. She knew she should be embarrassed but she couldn’t help it.
Jesse’s cock ground against her backside, pressing her against his fingers. She was deliciously squeezed by him and it didn’t take long before she called out his name and gave in to the pure pleasure he offered her.
She sagged in his arms, staring down at the street below.
“I’m going to take you over to that lounge chair and fuck you in the sunshine,” Jesse vowed as he pulled his hands back.
She dragged air into her lungs and braced herself against the wall when Jesse let her go.
That was when she saw it. The van. The same van that had been driving by every couple of minutes was slowing in front of the building.
It was wrong. There was no work to be done here. Taggart wouldn’t have anyone in the building he hadn’t thoroughly vetted, and he wouldn’t have anyone at all who didn’t have to be here. Even Kori, Ferguson’s assistant, was escorted in and out of the building every day while she gathered messages and files and watered the plants.
Something was wrong with that van.
“Jesse?”
The van stopped in front of the locked gate. Maybe it was turning around. Across the street, she could see the door to Jake Dean’s vehicle open and he stepped out, already talking on his cell.
“Who the hell is that?” The sexy growl was gone from Jesse’s voice, though there was still a hard edge there.
“Maybe he’s turning around.”
A SIG appeared in Jesse’s hand and he started to pull her away. “We’re going i
nside.”
A loud rev split the air and then a crash as the gate gave way to the big van. It smashed its way through, tore through the parking lot and then stopped right in front of the building. She saw another car, this one a massive truck, race toward the building from the street.
Even Jesse watched as the driver’s side door to the van opened and then closed. A man in a ski mask stepped out, leveled his gun, and started firing toward Dean.
But it wasn’t the gun that terrified Phoebe. It was the fact that he had a small black box in his hand. She heard tires squealing as the truck rammed into the van, but her eyes were on that little box in the tall man’s hand.
“Shit, he’s got a bomb.” Jesse started pulling her away from the side as the world exploded around them.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jesse felt the heat and tackled Phoebe just as the first blast hit them. It forced him forward, but he was fairly certain he’d taken the majority of the explosion. Pain flared in his shoulder, but it didn’t matter because he was far more worried about getting her off this damn building than he was any piece of shrapnel he might have lodged in his body.
The ground beneath him quaked and he felt the fucking building move and shake.
The sound of gunfire split the air again. Someone was having a firefight. He had to think it was Dean and the traitor, though the last thing he’d seen was another vehicle joining the apparent fray. He’d heard a crash and now the sound of gunfire made him think there were more than two people in that firefight. He heard the sound of several weapons firing. Was there more than one damn traitor? It was a scenario they hadn’t paid attention to.
“We have to get out of here,” he said, rolling off her. He prayed the damn roof held. “Are you all right? I didn’t mean to hit you quite so hard. I panicked a little.”
She turned over and got to her knees, blood on her palms and her clothes twisted and torn. Still, when he reached his hand out, she slid hers in and allowed herself to be pulled up. “You panicked when the crazy person tried to blow up the building we’re currently standing on. That’s totally unreasonable, Murdoch.”
At least she was staying calm. He ran his hands over her. “You sure you’re all right? I didn’t break anything?”
She stopped him, forcing him to look into her eyes. “I’m fine, Jesse. I’m good. A little scraped, but alive. Get your gun. We’re going to need it.”
He nodded. Now that he was sure she was good, he could calm down. Freaking out wouldn’t get them anywhere. There would be plenty of time for panic later. For now he let his training take over. He picked up the SIG and checked it out, flicking the safety off. “We have to get to the ground.”
“How bad is it?” She looked back toward the edge of the roof.
“You are not going over there to look.” He caught her hand again. It was too dangerous. He had no idea what kind of structural damage had been done.
“Ten and Ian were in the conference room. Oh, god, it’s toward the front of the building.” Her breath caught. “What happened to my brother?”
“He’s alive.” There was no other acceptable outcome. Before the bomb had gone off, he’d seen Dean on his phone. Dean was as smart and instinctive as an operative could be. He’d known something was up the minute that van moved in, and Tag would have hustled everyone to safety. He was fairly certain the front of Sanctum was blown all to hell, but he had to believe that Tag and Ten and Kai were safe. He couldn’t think anything less. Still, when he turned, the wall he’d just been standing at was gone, and about three feet that was formerly Sanctum now was a hole that led down to the street.
Their bedroom had to be gone. He could see rebar and smoldering ruins where their roof used to be.
He tugged her close, wrapping his arms around her. He could have lost her. They’d been standing right there. He’d been holding her and talking to her, trying to seduce her, and then someone was trying to kill him and about to take out her while they did it.
“We have to move.” The SIG was a happy weight in his free hand. It was going to be used for what it was meant for this afternoon. He would defend them with it and he would take down anyone who got in his way. “Stay close to me. You’re not carrying, are you?”
Her mouth turned down and her hand squeezed his. “No. I left my piece downstairs, damn it. I wasn’t thinking.”
She’d been emotional. He understood that now. “It’s all right. We’re going out the back, but we have to get downstairs first.”
“We have to find Ten.”
“No. This is one of those times that you obey me, Phoebe. This is one of those times that I’m in charge. I get you to safety and then I’ll go back and find Ten. It’s what I want. It’s what he wants—you safe. Come with me.”
She didn’t argue further as the gunfire increased. He led her toward the stairs. They were in the center of the building. They should still be somewhat solid. He hoped. Jesse opened the door and started down tentatively.
The door closed behind them and they were in the dark. The power had been knocked out by the blast.
Phoebe’s hand tensed in his. She was scared.
“Stay close. Baby, keep close to me. If we fall, I’ll go first and I’ll cushion you.”
“How about we don’t fall at all?” Her voice was solid in the gloom. That squeeze of her hand was suddenly reassuring.
They were a team. She would follow his lead and watch his back. He wasn’t dumb. She wouldn’t go quietly when the time came to leave her safely behind, but he liked that, too. She was fierce, his woman.
“Who the hell is out there? That’s more than two people firing,” she whispered as they started down the stairs. He could feel her fumbling with something and then there was a bright light illuminating the stairwell. “Flashlight app. I did have my phone.”
Jesse stopped, allowing his eyes to adjust as he took in the space. “Text Grace. A simple 911 will do. It will bring everyone here. I don’t think there’s any way the cops aren’t already on their way. Derek is going to have some work to do. And that’s definitely more than two guns. Someone was using an AK-47 and the rest sounded like semiautomatics. Apparently our traitor has some friends.”
“The text is sent,” Phoebe said. “But I don’t think they were friendlies. It doesn’t make sense. I can buy one person can get past me and Ten, but not several. Besides, they didn’t have outside connections. I think Ten’s men are smart and highly suspicious. They wouldn’t leave the investigation to McKay-Taggart. They started looking at their own team. I would bet anything someone was tailing the same people we were. I think Case drives a truck like that.”
“Why would he drive into the van?”
“If he suspected there was a bomb in the van and that it would take out the whole building, the best play he had was to force the van as far away as possible. Maybe that’s why it took out the right side of the building and not the center. It makes more sense to blow up the center and hope the thing falls in on itself. But it looked like the east side got hit the worst.”
Fuck. He hoped Case hadn’t been in that truck when it blew. He wasn’t sure Ian could handle losing a brother even if he didn’t really know the man. He worried that if Case had been in that truck, Theo had probably been sitting beside him.
“Can you shine that down?” The stairs seemed solid beneath him. They were close to the center of the building so if they were solid this far up, the stairs should hold up enough for he and Phoebe to get down. Unfortunately, with the exception of the rooms upstairs and the front doors, there were no windows in Sanctum. Given the nature of what the space was used for, Tag had found an industrial building that hid the inside from view of any curious passersby. It also meant that they would be totally in the dark and the flashlight would give away their position once he opened the door and entered the first level.
They took the stairs cautiously, Jesse listening to the continuing gunfire. It sounded closer now. They were in the building.
“Stay beh
ind me. Hold on to my belt and don’t let go. We’re going to have to turn that off once we’re on the club floor.”
He felt her hand grip his belt at his back. “Yes. It’ll be a beacon. Hey, please shoot us.”
Her voice was calm, but she had to be terrified. She was an operative, but she’d mostly had desk jobs. The idea of losing Ten had to send her into a tailspin, but she was quiet and following instructions. They reached the door that would lead them past the privacy rooms and on to the club floor.
Jesse closed his eyes and tried to see the layout. The locker rooms were toward the east wall and they were likely in complete ruins. There was a storage room behind the main stage in the dungeon that led to the basketball court. Since he couldn’t take her out front, it was his best bet. She could scale the fence and be out of harm’s way. They were coming after him. Whoever it was would let Phoebe run because he would be far too busy hunting down one Jesse Murdoch.
Adrenaline pumped through his system. As soon as Phoebe was safe, he was ready for this fight. He wanted his damn life back and that meant figuring out who the traitor was and confirming his own theory.
He turned when they reached the door. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.”
She nodded. “Yes. You’re not going to let that fucker kill you so it’s going to be okay.”
He leaned over and kissed her. He meant to do it swiftly, just a little affection before going into self-defense mode, but Phoebe’s arms came around his neck and she opened her mouth under his. When he felt her tongue swipe across his lower lip, his passion took over and he devoured her. It was only a few seconds, but he needed them. He needed to remind himself about what mattered. His anger didn’t matter. She did. Tag and Ten and Kai did.
What was waiting for him was not a traitor but a man who had died a long time ago. Now he was simply a predator to be put down. Anger had no place here. Cool precision would win the day. His opponent was desperate. Jesse had to be the opposite.
“Turn off the light and follow me. Whatever happens, don’t let go.”